Portland, Ore.-based Calbag Metals says its two facilities in Tacoma, Wash., have been granted formal registration for ISO 14001 certification. The facilities, Rivergate-Calbag LLC, a ferrous scrap yard, and Calbag Metals Tacoma, a nonferrous facility, were awarded the certification in early August 2010. Because the two facilities are close together, the company sought and received a single ISO 14001 certification that covers both plants.
Chuck Gleason, a spokesperson for Calbag, says receiving the award was the culmination of an 18-month project for the company. To meet the standards, the company underwent a three-part process that included what it calls an extensive 2-1/2-day audit conducted by International Standards Organization to ensure that the company met all the requirements.
“ISO 14001 demonstrates that a company has a comprehensive plan that aims to create as small an environmental footprint as possible,” Gleason says.
While achieving the certification required a significant amount of time, effort and money, Gleason says it was worth it. Many of Calbag’s customers value the certification, he adds. With ISO 14001 certification, buyers and sellers can be more assured of safeguards against potential downstream liabilities.
Gleason credited Steve Glucoft, Calbag’s general manager of the plant, and Nick Nicholas, environmental manager, as being keys to having the company achieve ISO 14001 certification.
The company expects to undertake the process to have its facilities in Portland also achieve ISO 14001 standards by the fall of 2010.
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